Scotland Yard report found by roadside, UK clueless

Terming the disappearance of the sensitive documents as ‘‘very bad’’, Home Secretary David Blunkett said the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Sir John Stevens would investigate into the incident. ‘‘As far as I know this is a genuine document. The plans were obviously very good. Somebody disposing of them in a way that allowed that to happen is very bad,’’ he told BBC.

The report gives away information about police measures to check attacks, including the timing of patrols, deployment of rooftop snipers and use of sniffer dog units, The Sun, which got possession of the document, reported.

The document, compiled by Scotland Yard’s SO18 anti-terrorist aviation security team, shows detailed maps and photographs of 62 potential missile launch sites and include key facts about attackers’ potential escape routes, evacuation plans and road closures, the report added. The manuals — handed over to The Sun by the motorist — have been returned to Scotland Yard by the tabloid last night.

The reports in the dossier are dated June 26, 2004, and outline surveillance and assessment information and aerial photographs valid until December. One report also gives details of a Sikh ‘‘dissident’’ who lives at a site directly under the flight path. It adds that ‘‘the site is situated immediately below the path of aircraft arriving and departing.’’ ‘‘This site affords an excellent site to attack aircraft departing Heathrow. The firing point is just over the fence into the field. This is a very large site with little cover affording ample cover for any potential attacker,’’ it said.